JPH04367879A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To record an image which has higher picture element density than the array density of an optical recording element by providing a reduction optical system which reduces an image carried by recording light between an optical recording element array and a recording material. CONSTITUTION:The image recording device 10 consists of the LED array 12, the reduction optical system 14, and a subscanning conveyance device 16. The LED array 12 as the light source for recording light L is constituted by integrating many LEDs corresponding to respective picture elements in one array to high density. The recording light emitted by the LED array 12 is made incident on the reduction optical system 14. The image that the recording light carries is reduced by the reduction optical system 14 to specific size, and projected and formed on the recording material A. This device is suitable for dental X-ray photography and image recording of small size for slide films, etc.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus using an optical recording element array, which is a combination of an LED array, a linear light source, a liquid crystal element array, or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image recording apparatus capable of recording high-quality images with high pixel density using an optical recording element array.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Optical recording element arrays in which optical recording elements are arranged in a line, such as LED arrays in which light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in a line, are applied to various image recording apparatuses.

In an image recording apparatus using an optical recording element array, the optical recording elements are controlled in accordance with the recorded image while relatively moving the recording material in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the optical recording elements. An image is recorded on the recording material by scanning the recording material two-dimensionally with recording light carrying an image emitted from the optical recording element array. The recording light emitted from the optical recording element array is propagated by an optical transmission means such as a SELFOC lens array, a focusing rod lens, or an optical fiber array arranged as necessary, or is projected in a 1:1 ratio. The light is incident on the recording material and exposes the recording material.

0004

However, in an image recording apparatus to which such an optical recording element array is applied, there is a problem in that it is not possible to record an image with high pixel density and high quality.

As mentioned above, in an image recording apparatus that uses an optical recording element array, the light emitting elements are blinked in accordance with the recorded image to produce recording light, and the recording light from the optical recording element is transmitted through the cell. The light is propagated by a Fock lens array or the like or is projected in a 1:1 ratio to irradiate the recording material and expose it. That is, in such an image recording apparatus, one light emitting element in the optical recording element array corresponds to one pixel of a recorded image.

Therefore, the image density that can be recorded in an image recording apparatus to which an optical recording element array is applied is determined by the density of the optical recording element array. L.E.
If it is a D array, it is not possible to record an image with a resolution of 200 DPI or more.

Furthermore, since there is a limit to the density of light emitting elements arranged in an optical recording element array, there is also a limit to increasing the density of recorded images by increasing the density of the optical recording element array.

[0008] Therefore, it is desired to realize an image recording apparatus using an optical recording element array that is capable of recording high-quality images with high pixel density.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and to provide an image recording apparatus that uses an optical recording element array such as an LED array as a recording light source, which It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus capable of recording high-quality images with a high pixel density higher than the element array density, and capable of recording high-quality images.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an optical recording element array formed by linearly arranging optical recording elements that emit recording light, and a direction in which the optical recording elements are arranged. A sub-scanning means for relatively moving the recording material in substantially orthogonal directions, and a sub-scanning means disposed between the optical recording element array and the recording material, reduce the image carried by the recording light and scan the image onto the recording material. Provided is an image recording device characterized by having a reduction optical system that forms an image.

[0011]

Effect of the Invention The image recording apparatus of the present invention uses an optical recording element array such as an LED array as a recording light source, and a recording material is placed relative to the direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements of the optical recording element array. An image recording apparatus that performs image recording by exposing a recording material as recording light that carries an image by moving an optical recording element on and off in accordance with a recorded image, and in which an optical recording element array and a recording A reduction optical system is provided between the recording material and the recording material to reduce the image carried by the recording light and form the image on the recording material.

That is, in the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording light emitted from the optical recording element array passes through the reduction optical system and is imaged on the recording material. Here, the image carried by this recording light is reduced by a reduction optical system and projected onto the recording material.

In an image recording apparatus that uses a conventional optical recording element array, recording light emitted from a light source such as a light emitting element is transmitted by a Selfoc lens array or the like, or is projected in a 1:1 ratio onto a recording material. incident and exposed. Therefore, in such a recording device, the arrangement density of the optical recording elements in the optical recording element array determines the pixel density of the recorded image.
For an LED array with 2048 dots, the resolution is 200.
It is not possible to record images that are higher than the DPI.

In contrast, the recording apparatus of the present invention is provided with a reduction optical system between the optical recording element array and the recording material, and reduces the image carried by the recording light and forms the image on the recording material. The recording material is thereby exposed to light. Therefore, it is possible to record images at a high pixel density that is higher than the arrangement density of the light emitting elements of the optical recording element array. For example, in the case of the above-mentioned LED array, the image carried by the recording light can be reduced to 1/5. Therefore, the image size in the length direction of the LED array can be 52 mm and the number of dots is 2048, and the resolution of the recorded image is 1.
000 DPI.

Therefore, by applying the image recording device of the present invention, it is possible to perform high quality image recording having a high pixel density, which was difficult with the conventional image recording device applying an optical recording element array. Small-sized image records such as dental X-ray photographs and slide films are suitably applicable.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The image recording apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an example of the image recording apparatus of the present invention.

Image recording device 10 (hereinafter referred to as
(referred to as a recording device 10) is an LE as an optical recording element array.
An LED printer using a D array 12, the LED
The recording material A is sub-scanned and conveyed in the sub-scanning direction (direction of arrow a) which is substantially orthogonal to the arrangement direction of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) in the array 12 (hereinafter referred to as the main-scanning direction).
By irradiating the recording light L emitted from the D array 12, the recording material A is exposed and an image is recorded.

The recording apparatus 10 as described above basically includes the above-mentioned LED array 12, a reduction optical system 14, and a sub-scanning conveyance device 16. Note that the recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and it goes without saying that optical elements such as mirrors and selfoc lens arrays may be provided as necessary.

The LED array 12, which is the light source of the recording light L, has a large number of LEDs corresponding to each pixel arranged in one row (line).
Highly concentrated in rows, usually 64 to 5
It is composed of an array chip that integrates about 1,000 LEDs.

A drive circuit (driver) 18 is connected to such an LED array 12, and emits recording light L by causing the LEDs to emit light in accordance with a recording image based on a signal from a control device (not shown).

The optical recording element array applied to the recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example of the LED array 12;
Any optical recording element array in which various point light sources such as a semiconductor laser (LD), EL, or FOT are arranged in an array can be applied, and the ease of forming the optical recording element array, economic efficiency, light emitting output, and recording It may be selected as appropriate depending on the wavelength matching with the photosensitivity of material A.

Although the illustrated recording device 10 employs one LED array 12 in which LEDs corresponding to one pixel are arranged in a row, the present invention is not limited to this; Depending on the material and recorded image, a plurality of LED arrays 12 or an LED array in which LEDs are arranged in a plurality of rows may be applied. For example, when recording monochrome images or electrophotographic images, it is sufficient to use one LED array 12 in which LEDs are arranged in a row as shown in the figure, and color images can be recorded on silver halide photographic recording materials, etc. When performing 3-color exposure for R, G, and B,
An LED array in which LEDs are arranged in rows, or three LED arrays 12 as shown in the illustrated example may be arranged corresponding to the three colors of R, G, and B.

Recording light L emitted from the LED array 12
then enters the reduction optical system 14. Reduction optical system 14
is for reducing the image carried by the recording light L emitted from the LED array 12 and forming the image on the recording material A. In the illustrated example, the first lens 20 and the second lens 2
2 and a third lens 24.

Conventional LED array (optical recording element array)
In a recording device such as an LED printer that uses LED as a recording light source, the pixel density of a recorded image is determined by the density of LEDs arranged in an LED array (hereinafter referred to as LED array density). For example, if the array length is 260 mm, For an LED array with 2048 dots, the resolution is 200D.
It is not possible to record images higher than PI.

On the other hand, since the recording apparatus 10 of the present invention has the reduction optical system 14, it is possible to reduce the image carried by the recording light L to a predetermined size and project and form the image onto the recording material A. can. Therefore, the array length mentioned above is 260 m.
m, and an LED array with a dot count of 2048, by reducing the recording light L to 1/2, the image size in the main scanning direction is 130 mm and the resolution is 400 DPI, and the recording light L is reduced to 1/5. This makes it possible to record an image with an image size of 52 mm in the main scanning direction and a resolution of 1000 DPI.

Therefore, it is possible to record high-quality images with a pixel density higher than that of the LED array, especially for dental X-ray photographs and enlarged projections such as medical imagers. It is suitably applied to applications in which high-quality recording with high pixel density is performed on small-sized recording materials such as slide) films.

The reduction optical system applied to the recording apparatus 10 of the present invention is not limited to a combination of three lenses as shown in the example shown, but any known system can be used as long as it can cover the entire area of the recording light L. Any of the various reduction optical systems can be applied. Further, the reduction optical system 14 may have a fixed magnification, or may have a variable magnification so that the reduction ratio can be adjusted depending on the size of the recorded image, desired pixel density, etc.

The recording light L that has passed through the reduction optical system 14 is reduced by a predetermined magnification and projected onto the recording material A to define a main scanning line S.

Here, the recording material A is transferred to the sub-scanning conveyance device 16.
The paper is nipped and conveyed by a pair of nip rollers 26 and 28 in a sub-scanning direction (direction of arrow a) substantially perpendicular to the main-scanning direction. Therefore, the recording material A ends up with the main scanning line S
The entire surface is scanned by (recording light L) and an image is recorded.

The sub-scanning conveyance device applied to the present invention is not limited to the nip roller pair shown in the illustrated example, and any known sub-scanning conveyance device such as a belt conveyor, exposure table, exposure drum, etc. can be applied. There are no particular limitations. Note that in the recording apparatus of the present invention, sub-scanning may be performed by fixing the recording material A and moving the optical system.

The optical recording element array applied to the recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example of the LED array 12;
Not only the LED array 12 in the illustrated example in which point light sources corresponding to one pixel are arranged in a row, but also the one in which a light shutter array 32 as shown in FIG. Any linear light source that can individually emit recording light corresponding to one line of a recorded image is applicable.

The recording device shown in FIG. 2 uses a linear light source 30 such as a fluorescent lamp as a light source, and a liquid crystal cell array or an electro-optic material such as PLZT is formed between the reduction optical system 14 and the linear light source 30. The optical shutter array 32 is equipped with an optical shutter array 32 that can individually block and open the recording light corresponding to one pixel, and the optical shutter array 32 is opened and closed by an optical shutter array driver 34 according to the recorded image. The recording material A is recorded by the recording light from the linear light source 30.
It exposes to light.

Although the image recording apparatus of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes and improvements may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

[0035]

Effects of the Invention As described above in detail, the image recording device of the present invention is an image recording device to which an optical recording element array such as an LED array is applied, and has a high pixel density higher than the density of the optical recording element array. High-quality images can be recorded, and in particular, high-quality images can be recorded favorably on dental X-ray photographs, enlarged projection films, and the like.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an example of an image recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of another example of the image recording device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Image recording device 12 LED array 14 Reduction optical system 16 Sub-scanning conveyance device 18 Drive circuit 20 First lens 22 Second lens 24 Third lens 26, 28 Nip roller pair 30 Linear light source 32 Optical shutter array 34 Optical shutter array driver A Recording material S Main scanning line

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical recording element array formed by linearly arranging optical recording elements that emit recording light, and a sub-scanning means for relatively moving a recording material in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the optical recording elements. and a reduction optical system disposed between the optical recording element array and the recording material, which reduces the image carried by the recording light and forms the image on the recording material. Recording device.